In September 2008, I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, a huge shock to me. Within you will find my journey into the scary world of cancer and my struggles to emerge from it.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

The Wig is in

Oliver eating his mom's purse. Hopefully I will see him soon

So the "Lighten Up" in Honey Ginger finally showed up in size small. It barely fits. I still have some hair left so I am hoping it'll fit better when it's gone. Naomi's verdict-too short and poufy. She spends hours de-voluminizing her own hair. Somehow despite straight hair allegedly being a recessive trait and Steve and I both having straight hair theoretically dooming our children to straight hair also, two of the kids have curly hair. Not that they appreciate it. Josh gets his hair cut at the first sign of curls and Naomi has her straighteners. And my daughter-in-law, Julia, would have beautiful pale blonde curls if she didn't spend a half hour straighteing it.

There seems to be a local epidemic of teenage pregnancies here. The girl that Naomi went out with the other night is 5 months pregnant! Morgan seemed to be one of Naomi's more sensible friends-bright and beautiful. MTV had filmed their show "Made" 2 years ago here showcasing a neighborhood boy who wanted to be a fashion desginer. Morgan with her 6'2" willowly body was his principal model so she had her 30 seconds of fame. Naomi was able to rattle off quite a few others. Just the other day, Ty, the basketball captain/star said Damn Nay-maybe we should go and get pregnant so we could be trendy too. Ty, of course, has her eyes on the prize and would never get pregnant. Naomi on the other hand, needs to be watched.

Felt vaguely pukey most of yesterday. The Zofran seemed to help but made me sleepy. I was able to go for a half-hour walk with Steve just to get moving and get some fresh air. It is cold and slippery out. Shanna's family started the long trek out here late from Boston. Massachusetts was completely covered with snow. Worse they have all these no-salt zones in the Berkshires to keep their aquifers pure. Michigan on the other hand, is quite free with its salt-the epicenter of the 'rust-belt'. I remember driving very nervously through the Berkshires last year after Oliver was born. Very pretty but lots of climbs and turns. Nerve-racking when slippery. According to the weather channel, it would be smooth sailing once they hit the New York State line. I stopped calling them once they were halfway through. The earliest they could have made it was midnite and I assume they are exhausted. Hopefully Shanna will call as soon as she wakes up. Our family X-mas will be later today-the only day we'll all be in town. Shanna's family won't stay here until X-mas nite.

Steve and me

40th anniversary trip to Spain

About me

I am a mother of 3, wife of 1, and grandmother of 6. For years, I had been a medicinal chemist. Not long after I was retired early, I found myself with triple negative breast cancer. My struggles with it are in this blog along with the joys and trials of being a mother and grandmother. I love to be physically active, travel, read, and garden. Although my degrees are in chemistry and cellular biology not medicine, I keep up with the medical literature and report herein watching closely for good news against this deadly disease. As time goes on, my stay in Cancerland has become more a bad memory than a reality. This blog has since morphed into a photo blog in which I try to capture moments of beauty in my life.